Nearly two years after Katrina/Rita, trash lingers in Lafourche

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have had more ill-effects on the Tri-parish area than discouraging tourists from visiting.

The storms of 2005 have contributed to causing delays in trash pickup of up to two weeks in Lafourche Parish entering June, said Jerome Danos, Lafourche Parish solid waste manager.

“Many people are still cutting down trees because of the hurricanes,” he said. “Today, they’re still tearing down parts of mobile homes for pickup. There’s remodeling debris.”

Annual spring-cleaning activity, in addition to the aftermath of the storms, increased the volume of debris needing curbside pickup, he said. Through early April, Lafourche Parish was experiencing four-to-six week trash-removal delays.

“In some cases, trash was out four-to-six weeks,” he said.

“We are just about caught up,” Danos said. Though, “if you’re on the tail end of a truck’s route, it could be two weeks” before trash is taken away, he said.

SweeDee, the Houma-based waste-removal-services company, performs all trash and garbage pickup in Lafourche Parish. The City of Thibodaux has a separate contract with SweeDee.

“It’s gotten more complicated since the hurricanes,” Danos said. “Immediately after the hurricanes, they added a third and fourth grapple truck (a truck with a hydraulic arm used to grasp bulkier items). Earlier this year, with trash volume up, they added a fifth grapple truck.”

Lafourche Parish’s contract with SweeDee allows the company two weeks to remove curbside trash.

“We give it 14 working days,” Danos said, “before we take it to another level.” Lafourche Parish has experienced more specific problems since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with contractors working on homes and properties.

“Residents are not responsible for debris” left by contractors, he said.

A Lafourche Parish Government news release lists the following examples of contractors: Roofing, tree service, new home or business construction, home repair and remodeling, landscapers, carpet installers, and air conditioning and heating servicemen.

“It’s a constant battle we take on” where “a contractor puts the debris out curbside,” Danos said.

The release states that contractors “performing work or services must remove all debris and/or material resulting from their work. Any debris resulting from these services is not the responsibility of the parish or SWDI.”

In particular, Lafourche Parish has experienced problems with tree trimmers.

“Some tree cutters don’t comply” with the debris-removal requirement, Danos said, “especially since the storms. They’re in for quick work.”

In cases where they have debris remaining from contracted work, residents can have the trash taken away privately by four waste-removal services operating in Lafourche Parish: SweeDee, Galliano Disposal, Waste Management, Inc., and Better Waste Disposal.

“All are licensed by the parish to remove debris,” Danos said.

Lafourche Parish and SweeDee do not take away trash left curbside in front of vacant lots.

The release states that property owners need “to make arrangements for the proper disposal of any debris resulting from activities on vacant properties or land clearing activities.”

Bagged items of trash left curbside should weigh less than 35 pounds, according to the release. Tree debris must be bundled, weigh less than 75 pounds, and be less than six feet in length, and two feet in diameter. Tree limbs should be cut into pieces weighing less than 75 pounds. Appliances must be separated from other trash items curbside. Hazardous materials such as paint thinners, solvent, and oil-based paints need to be disposed of carefully. Free-flowing paints, thinners, and chemicals placed in sealed containers “should be dried or absorbed so that they are not free-flowing at the time of collection,” the release states. Residents can call the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s Waste Hotline at (800) 305-6621 for information about hazardous waste removal.

For a schedule of SweeDee’s trash pickup times, and truck routes, check http://www.lafourchegov.org/lafourchegov/content/sw/2007TrashSchedule.pdf.